However, it isn’t without its disadvantages. One of the biggest is the loss of the “lean back” viewing experience. There are times when you just want to stick something on the television and watch it passively. Cord-cutting is all about endless menus, buffering videos, and broken streams, right?

Unfortunately they don’t come cheap. The lowest package on any of the services will still set you back around $20 per month. But they do provide a way to access traditional TV for a fraction of the cost of cable.

Also, remember that you can access lots of your local over-the-air channels for free simply by using a good aerial. It might not be the most stimulating content, but it will still give you some easy-to-watch alternative viewing should you want it.

Pluto TV is trying hard to recreate the full cable experience through a single app on your streaming device. Channel surfers will love it; the app has a visual TV guide which looks and works exactly like the one your cable operator uses.

The app has 75 channels available. These are split into 10 categories: News, Sports, Comedy, Geek and Gaming, Chill Out, Entertainment, Life and Style, Curiosity, Movies, and Music and Radio. Some of the channels are exclusive, but you can also find well-known brands such as Bloomberg TV, NASA TV, and The Weather Channel.

Unfortunately for our non-American readers, it’s only available in the mainland United States at the time of writing.

Yidio’s content can be divided into two categories. It has videos pulled from the leading video-on-demand providers that requires a subscription to watch, and it has free self-hosted video.

Where it excels is with its personalized profiles. The app tracks your favorite shows, creates a custom TV schedule, and lets your watch them all in one continuous showing, just like a television channel.

Mobdro has a similar concept to Pluto TV. It’s not as slick to use, but it accesses a lot of the same content.

It works by scouring the web for free video streams. It then adds the streams to your Android app and lets your play them in one continuous session.

If you want to watch the content on your TV, you’ll need to cough up for the Premium version. It’s still in beta but should be available to the public in the coming months. For now, you’ll need to buy a dongle to physically connect your Android device to your TV.

No list of this nature would be complete without FilmOnWatch Live TV Online, For Free, With FilmOnWatch Live TV Online, For Free, With FilmOnWatch TV, on your computer – without the need for an antenna, TV card or subscription. FilmOn is a free service offering a wide variety of TV channels in the US and UK.Read More. It boasts 600 live channels (including lots of the most popular British channels) and 90,000 video-on-demand titles. If you’re a premium subscriber, you’ll also get a cloud-based DVR, access to Hollywood movies, and some network TV shows.

The app uses footage from beIN Sports, Univision Deportes, UniMás, and GolTV HD. For $9.99 per month, it means you’ll have access to La Liga, Serie A, MLS, Liga MX, Ligue 1, the Portuguese Primeira Liga, and the Brazilian Serie A. It’ll also have occasional access to big games from other leagues.

And it’s not just live games. You’ll also find plenty of other content, including series, documentaries, news, and exclusive club footage.

In a world when on-demand services are becoming more prevalent, Livestream goes in a different direction by offering you video streams of live events around the world.

These aren’t boring streams being broadcast from geeks’ bedroom. Luminaries such as the BBC, the New York Times, TED, and Spotify all use the service to broadcast their content.

Video content is split into 10 sections: Animals, Arts and Entertainment, Business, Lifestyle, Music, News, Politics and Society, Science and Technology, Spiritual, and Sports. Some of the videos will stream around the clock (such as local news) while some only broadcast for a defined period while an event is live (like a sporting event).

What Streaming Apps Do You Use?

In this article we have given you eight diverse apps that’ll help you watch television 24/7 without ever needing to touch a remote control. By making use of these apps, guests in your house may not even realize you have cut the cord.

Now, it’s over to you, as we would love to know what you use when you want to do some lean-back television viewing. So, which streaming apps and channels would you add to the list?

As always, you can get in touch with your tips and recommendations in the comments below.

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Lee

July 29, 2017 at 1:29 am

I watch crackle. Original seriees. TV classic series including sienfeld, All in The Family. Completely free with commercials. There is no paid subscription option. Also enjoy topdocumentaryfilms.com. Again, free,commercials, no paid subscription option.

USTVnow is meant for American expats living abroad, but I believe it works for anyone. The free tier of the service provides live streams of basic broadcast channels, albeit probably not from your local affiliate. That's great if you need to see a national sport telecast or presidential debate, but it works less well uf you were going for local weather and traffic. Still worthwhile

That's probably because all the services listed are free Internet streams, whereas Sling is a cable bundle without the cable box. Personally, I have the new similar service DirecTV NOW and think it's great. But it is not free like the services listed in t ehe article.

Dan is a British expat living in Mexico. He is currently the Social Editor for MakeUseOf. He was formerly the Creative Editor and Finance Editor. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant. He holds various certifications from the University of Leeds, the University of Cambridge, and the…